Michter's Small Batch American Whiskey

I am guessing this is a product of Heaven Hill, as the new Michter's label cites a Bardstown, KY source. While it is my belief that the Michter's label should never apply to anything outside Pennsylvania, I am willing to give this thing a try if someone can convince me it is worth the $35/btl currently being charged for it at the local state store.

I'm hearing it's >80% corn, thus making it, technically, a corn whiskey. Would this put it on the sweet side of the whiskey spectrum?

Re: Michter's Small Batch American Whiskey

In this case, guess-the-distiller is pure speculation, but KBD is definitely the bottler as they have the active DBA.

For those of you who don't know, you can go to the Kentucky Secretary of State's web site, enter the producer's name as shown on the label, and find out who has the active rights to that DBA. ("Doing Business As," i.e., an assumed business name.)

Re: Michter's Small Batch American Whiskey

In this case, guess-the-distiller is pure speculation, but KBD is definitely the bottler as they have the active DBA.

From my rather fuzzy recollection it tasted closer to the HH profile than anything else, but it could be a mix of whiskeys from multiple sources. All I remember is that it was not very good, and I wouldn't pay $35 for it. I probably wouldn't pay $3.50 for it frankly. The bourbon is slightly better but not by much. And I would bet anybody dollars to doughnuts that the bourbon is sourced from HH.

Re: Michter's Small Batch American Whiskey

Originally Posted by cowdery

In this case, guess-the-distiller is pure speculation, but KBD is definitely the bottler as they have the active DBA.

For those of you who don't know, you can go to the Kentucky Secretary of State's web site, enter the producer's name as shown on the label, and find out who has the active rights to that DBA. ("Doing Business As," i.e., an assumed business name.)

If that's the case, what's the role of Chatham Imports, which lists Michter's as one of its products. Are they the distributor?

Re: Michter's Small Batch American Whiskey

Originally Posted by sku

If that's the case, what's the role of Chatham Imports, which lists Michter's as one of its products. Are they the distributor?

I believe, and Chuck will probably correct me:

Due to the out of date liquor laws on the books, which never expected someone to own a liquor brand who didn't also own the distillery that produced it (or at the very least bottle it themselves), that the bottler actually has to be registered with a d.b.a. that matches the name on the label. So in other words, if the bottle says "Bottled by Asshole Distilling Company" the people who do the bottling have to have been registered to operate as such.

So in this case, the owner (Chatham Imports) would grant a limited license to KBD for them to use their trademark while bottling product for them. KBD would then go and register this trademark with the state, so that when they are bottling product under that label they can (on paper anyway) hang the correct shingle on the door.

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Re: Michter's Small Batch American Whiskey

Oh yes, they have their own distillery, it's been in their family for generations. It just doesn't do any distilling.

If it's not distilling anything then is it still a distillery? Or just a building with a still?

But seriously folks...from what I've read, their M.O. is to buy bulk whiskey from other distilleries then age, bottle and market it themselves. The only decent whiskey I've had from KBD is Rowan's Creek, which is mighty tasty stuff. Very smooth and sweet. Noah's Mill is an older version of RC, I think. Haven't tried that yet.